West Madagascar Marine Ecoregion

About the Area
Quiet lagoons, submerged reefs and islands, fringing reefs, and one of the world's few double barrier reefs are found here.

One of the barrier reefs is 124 miles (200 km) long. These different habitats are home to numerous species, including more than 200 corals, 400 mollusks, and 550 fish.

The very rare "living fossil fish," the coelacanth (Lahimeria chalumnae), is found here.

Local Species
Fish include the silvertip shark (Carcharinus albimarginatus) and the threatened kei goby (Oligdepis keimsis).

More familiar to many people are the two breeding species of turtles: hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green (Chelonia mydas). Other sea turtle species are occasionally observed, including the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), loggerhead (Caretta caretta), and olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea).